Ink Preferred Business vs. Platinum card from American Express for Business – Which Is Better for a Newbie?

Recently, a neighbor of ours emailed to ask some advice about a credit card offer. They started their own business and received a targeted offer to get the Business Platinum Card from American Express with a 100K signup bonus. Not only were they wondering whether this was a good deal for them or not, but they wondered if there were better options out there.

Of course, since I know this all depended on their travel goals, I asked them what they hoped to do right away. They said, ideally, they wanted to transfer points to Delta to fly from Indianapolis to Paris. And since they found a ton of availability form IND to CDG on Delta for 60,000 miles round-trip, they thought the Business Platinum Card from American Express was their best bet. But, was it?

Reasons to Get the Business Platinum Card from American Express

For starters, I told my neighbor I thought the 100K offer (or even a lesser 75K or above offer) from the Business Platinum Card from American Express is a good deal. Sure, the card comes with a $450 annual fee but you get a lot in return. Some of the card’s best amenities include:

• a $200 airline fee credit
• 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com and 1x points on everything else
• Airport lounge access, including Centurion lounge access
• And up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck

Since my neighbors wanted to transfer points to fly to Paris on Delta Air Lines, this card is pretty much ideal. For starters, they would have 100,000 points of the 120,000 points they need to fly two people round-trip to Paris via the signup bonus since Membership Rewards transfer to Delta 1:1. On top of that, the lounge access the card offers would get them into Delta Sky Clubs while they were flying Delta, too.

While the $450 annual fee can be a huge turnoff for some people, paying this fee can be worth it if you can make use of the amenities the card offers. And with serious plans to go to Paris (and plenty of amazing Delta availability), getting this card for the 100K offer makes a lot of sense.

Reasons to Also Consider the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card

Since I wasn’t sure they were huge on paying a $450 annual fee for a credit card, I also made an alternate suggestion – the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. This card charges only a $95 annual fee, albeit with fewer perks.

Once you sign up for the card, you earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 within three months of account opening. Other perks include:

• Earn 3x points on travel, select online advertising, cable, phone, and internet, and shipping, and 1x points on all other purchases
• Easy 1:1 transfers to the popular Chase Ultimate Rewards loyalty partners

While Delta isn’t a transfer partner of Chase, they could transfer their points 1:1 to Air France/Flying Blue and get on the same Delta flights for 50,000 miles plus taxes each round-trip, pending award availability.

At the end of the day, I think this card is another good option for them because they would only have to fork over $95 in annual fees, and they wouldn’t wind up paying $450 per year for perks they may not use. For more on this card and other rewards cards, head here.

The Bottom Line

Sure, paying a $450 annual fee for a credit card can make sense if you travel all the time. But, if you only fly a few times per year and won’t take advantage of lounge access or airline credits, you may be better off seeking card with a lower out-of-pocket cost.

Personally, I would be inclined to get both cards for the signup bonuses alone.

 

Which business credit card would you get in this situation? Why?